How to - Hillbilly Timing Tape

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crackedback

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HILLBILLY TIMING TAPE

Put TDC balancer timing mark at 10BTDC, make a mark at 5ATDC. Roll that new mark to 10BTDC and make a mark at 5ATDC. Scribe each mark and you now have timing marks at 0, 15BTDC and 30BTDC. Now using the OEM timing marks, an engine can be timed at up to 40* BTDC.


Never buy a timing tape again!

HillbillyTimingtape003.jpg
 
Yup...that's how I did it on my F*rd 460 (472)...measured the distance from "0" degrees to "10" degrees, then measured that distance out 3 more times and marked each with white paint....Voila!
 
(1) deg is 0.063268". grab your calipers and make some marks on a strip of white paper to use as a ruler around the dampener. clean the dampener & use good white enamel. First I would confirm true TDC. I only add 10-15-17.5-20 and my total 35/6/8 depending on the eng (plus the OE TDC slit)
 
My way is MUCH easier than trying to measure .632" for 10* or just about any variant for that matter.

Why make it harder than it needs to be? It's rhetorical, you don't need to answer. :)
 
My way is MUCH easier than trying to measure .632" for 10* or just about any variant for that matter.

Why make it harder than it needs to be? It's rhetorical, you don't need to answer. :)
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You posted a comment regarding my post so you will get an answer. I agree using the tab as a ruler is easy but on some engines the marks are hard to get at let alone a straight shot for a good measurement so on those cases I make my paper rulers as described for the degrees I need & turn the slit to the bottom then crawl underneath & make my marks that I need. Since I started doing that & have calipers at my disposal I just do it for any and all markings whether the timing marks are easily accessible or not (works for me)
 
Just did mine, heres bbefore n after pics. The tdc mark on harmonic balancer was off 90*. Not sure why, we discovered that and put our own marks on it. Looked like ****, so while fixing coolant leak and balancer off. I fixed it for good. Thanks Crackedback!

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Rapid Robert said:
You posted a comment regarding my post so you will get an answer. I agree using the tab as a ruler is easy but on some engines the marks are hard to get at let alone a straight shot for a good measurement so on those cases I make my paper rulers as described for the degrees I need & turn the slit to the bottom then crawl underneath & make my marks that I need. Since I started doing that & have calipers at my disposal I just do it for any and all markings whether the timing marks are easily accessible or not (works for me)
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AAaaa, calipers! Among the many tools most folks would toss over a shoulder with a "WTF"...Calipers and the knowledge/will to use them in awkward situations - even BETTER!
 
Either way if you know how to tune an engine you don't need many marks or you need some marks and then you go from there.
Depending on cam degree advance, distributor etc.
Need to know what your working with.

Dave
 
Rapid Robert said:
(1) deg is 0.063268"???? What kind of calipers did you buy that measure into the millionths??
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crackedback said:
My way is MUCH easier than trying to measure .632" for 10*
Click to expand...

Some people really need to rewiew their decimal places, or get digital calipers. The difference between these 2 measurements is over a half inch! .062 = 1/16
 
IMO Do whichever works best for you. Either way you can accomplish desired results.
Form the 1st DC B-RB book I recall the "every .0625" = 1°.
2-3/8" translated to 38°.

What I feel is important also is to mark the inner ring a '0' with the outer on old dampers.



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helliphinon8 said:
Some people really need to rewiew their decimal places, or get digital calipers. The difference between these 2 measurements is over a half inch! .062 = 1/16
Click to expand...

WOW , how did u come to that conclusion / 1/16" IS .0625 , that is .062 and a half thousandths .
 
Rapid Robert said:
our Mopar ones are & that is why dialbacks are a hair off (who know what balancer the MFR calibrated em to) but a DB is a fun tool to play with. RR
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Hold on....a circumference is measured in degrees. 3" or 30", 10 degrees is gonna be 10 degrees on a DB timing light. Now how they determine the pulse width of that offset without knowing the diameter of the balancer is...? @KitCarlson It must do some mean time between 2 pulses (RPM) and then does a division of that time by 720 to get the timing width of 1 degree and then uses that as the basis of the timing delay or offset once you turn the dial back wheel. So -10 would measure 700 degrees and then start the 720 clock again. Move the dial to -11 and it will count 698 degrees and start the 720 clock again. Of course this is all taking place at megahertz speed (millions of calculations per second) so its transparent But to say that a dial back is calibrated to a specific balancer diameter is hard to accept. Some timing marks are on 12" flywheels instead of 7.25" balancers. Kit, you got any theories on this?
 
pishta said:
Kit, you got any theories on this?
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A V8 fires every 90 crank degrees. The time width between pulses varies with RPM. Higher RPM the shorter time between events. A dial back is a way to subdivide time, divide by 90, each division is a degree. Most use a pot to select count of divisions, pots suck, for accuracy.

4 cylinders fire 180d, /6 at 120d so a dial back needs to know that. Nothing to do with balancer diameter, just time delay. An example for V8, 3000 RPM width is 5ms, half of that is 2.5ms, delay that amount for light would be 45 degree setback.
 
Geez. Just use the timing marks on the balancer. It's already graduated out for you. All you have to do id follow @carckedback's instructions. My GAWD some people will argue about anything.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Geez. Just use the timing marks on the balancer. It's already graduated out for you. All you have to do id follow @carckedback's instructions. My GAWD some people will argue about anything.
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I like simple and use the timing cover graduation. They said there would be no math... Line stuff up, scribe, DONE. No rulers, abacus, tape measure, calculators...

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